Game Freak's action RPG Beast of Reincarnation launched on August 4, and a day later the studio announced on X that it is "planning a series of continuous updates" to address player feedback. The post, shared by the official Game Freak account, thanked players and said the studio is taking their feedback to heart.
The first patch, which Game Freak is aiming to release within a week, will include camera adjustments, an increase to the game's text size, and general bug fixes. It will also change the default graphics setting from cinematic mode to performance mode. Multiple outlets noted that the game's on-screen text is currently very small and difficult to read, with no in-game option to adjust it, and that player reviews on Steam have frequently criticized cinematic mode as janky and performance mode as the recommended alternative. The camera has also drawn complaints for making it hard to see during fights against the game's large enemies.
The patch will also include what Game Freak called "story pacing improvements," which the studio described as part of ongoing adjustments planned for the future rather than a one-time fix. Coverage noted this is a less typical kind of post-launch patch, and it's not entirely clear what changes players should expect. A Rock Paper Shotgun review of the game specifically criticized pacing, describing lengthy, repetitive hub cutscenes that gate progress, including one scene in which a character is asked the same question multiple times.
Beast of Reincarnation has received a mixed response overall. On Steam, the game holds a "Mixed" rating, cited variously as 53 percent positive with roughly 1,700 reviews at the time of reporting, with common complaints about lack of polish. One Steam review quoted by Polygon called it a "TEMU Stellar Blade for a AAA price." Critic reviews have also been divided: Eurogamer awarded the game three stars, with its critic describing "conflicting feelings," noting moments that are "glorious" alongside others that feel "aggravating, unfinished, and, worse, dull." Polygon's review said the game's action and RPG systems are strong but that its identity is "buried under unrefined ideas borrowed from some of the decade's best games." Rock Paper Shotgun's review described a promising opening that gives way to repetitive environments, reused enemies, and boss fights late in the game that felt nearly identical to earlier ones.
Notably, the announced patch does not mention changes to combat, which several outlets flagged as a dividing line among reviewers. GamesRadar+ called the combat "firm but fair" in its own review but noted other critics found it uninspired, and speculated that a separate update addressing combat could still be in the pipeline. Game Freak also shared a survey link to gather further player feedback, according to Eurogamer.
Beast of Reincarnation marks a significant departure for Game Freak, long known for the Pokémon series. GamesRadar+ noted that the studio has said the photorealistic action-RPG style "doesn't really fit" its usual vibe but that it felt this approach was the best fit for the new project. Separately, some early player commentary has focused on the game's companion character Koo, a dog who assists in combat and exploration; a Polygon piece argued that Koo's frequent alerts about items and nearby enemies undercut the sense of discovery while exploring the game's maps.